News

World Hepatitis Day event was commemorated on the 28th of July 2022 at Kagini Primary Health Care Centre and the Chief’s palace, concurrently.

The event began at 10:30 a.m. with the Centre for Family Health Initiative (CFHI)’s team divided in two groups to anchor the concurrent event at both venues; Primary Health Care and community Chief Palace. The event was in two sessions. The Talk session and Test session.

A health worker at the PHC in the person of Mrs Akpan delivered the lecture to pregnant women during the antenatal session, on hepatitis types A,B,C,D and E emphasizing on the importance of testing and knowing their status and also, on the prevention of mother-child hepatitis transmission.

Mrs Odunayo Adegbite, a staff of CFHI also made contributions on the risk factors and transmission mode of hepatitis types A,B,C,D and E which include the ingestion of contaminated food or water, unsafe contact with infected body fluids, receipt of contaminated blood or blood products, Mother-child transmission, sexual contact etc. She urged the pregnant women to be mindful of the level of unsaturated fat they consume so as to prevent liver damage.

The audience asked questions which were attended to and answered.

The testing session for hepatitis commenced after the talk session and counsellors engaged in counselling of the women in respect to their various test results. The same programme modality was carried out at the Chief’s palace which had in attendance Men, Women and Adolescents and children and was anchored by Mrs Temitope Samuel of CFHI.

In the midst of the testing session, journalist from Trust Television came to witness the event and interviewed some women and a staff of CFHI on the World Hepatitis Day activity. The event was a success with a record of one hundred persons tested, in which ninety-five tested negative to hepatitis while five tested positive.

There is a need to raise more awareness on Hepatitis

Network of Civil Society organization against Child Trafficking, Abuse, and Labour (NACTAL) in a bid to commemorate World Day Against Child Labour, 2022 collaborated with its member organizations, including Centre for Family Health Initiative to host community advocacy on June 9, 2022, at Gosa-Abuja.

The event featured a courtesy call visit to the principal and management team of JSS Gosa led by FCT NACTAL coordinator. The visit was to encourage and sensitize them on the need to intensify efforts and strengthen partnership with NACTAL in the fight against child labour and all forms of abuse. The event also featured amongst others various presentation by the member organizations on:

• The rights and responsibilities of a child
• Forms of child abuse and signs to identify child abuse
• Reporting procedures for child abuse

At the end of the event, vote of thanks was given by the principal of the school with words of encouragement to the organizations to continue in their efforts to sensitize children and parents, not only in the schools but religious places. He decried that most times children are abused by their parents and people they trust. 70 (41 Female & 29 Male) students from JSS & SS Gosa were reached with:

• Packs of Indomi & Drinks
• Books and writing pens

MENSTRUAL HEALTH AND HYGIENE DAY, MAY 28, 2022

Menstrual health is a major concern to us at CFHI. This is because despite menstruation being a natural occurrence, up to 60 per cent of the 110.5 million out-of-school children in Nigeria, and 1 in 10 African girls misses school due to their period, according to UNICEF. Most Nigerian girls and young women are often left with no choice but to use unclean napkins, tissue, leaves, newspapers, or nothing at all, during their menstruation, thereby, affecting their general wellbeing.

International Menstrual Health and Hygiene Day (MHMD) is celebrated every year to raise awareness on menstruation and the need to end period poverty and stereotypes surrounding the topic. In May 2022, CFHI in partnership with Real Relief, Denmark continued to provide adequate knowledge on menstrual health to school girls all over the world via the transnational #KickOffTheDialogue2022 campaign. At Foma Academy, Kubwa, Abuja, CFHI facilitated an in-school activity for 76 girls to talk about menstruation and have fun in the process. 50 participants were provided with reusable SafePads^TM, including 3 vulnerable girls who experience severe period poverty at Kagini community, Abuja.

CFHI joined the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs to celebrate MHM 2022 and make menstrual materials available to girls and women in attendance. Aside joining the awareness walk to promote policies that are favorable to women and girls who menstruate, CFHI will continue to provide sustainable solutions to end period poverty, through the production of Safepads in Nigeria. Join the movement, as we continue to provide adequate knowledge on menstrual health and make menstrual materials accessible to all girls and women, irrespective of their social and economic status. As stated in the May edition of our newsletter, with the removal of pink tax, community sensitization, and in-school activities to promote positive social norms and policies, and providing affordable menstrual products, health services, easy access to water, toilet facilities, soap, and disposals, menstrual inequality would be curtailed.